Feeding mechanism for string-bean cutters, &amp;c.



W. B. PHINNEY & R. C. ADAMS.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR STRING BEAN 'GUTTERS, duo.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 19, 1908 1,095,228, Patented May 5; 19 14.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W. B. PHINNEY & R. G. ADAMS.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR STRING BEAN GUTTBRS, 6w. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1908.

1,095,228- Patented May 5, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. B. PHINNEY & R G. ADAMS. FEEDING MECHANISM FOR STRING BEAN GUTTERS, 6w.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 19, 1908.

' a SHBBTSSHEET s.

Patented May 5, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT orunon- WILLIAM B; PHINNEY, OF WESTFIELD, AND ROGER C. ADAMS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE PHINNEY ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF CHILLICOTHE, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR STRING-BEAN GUTTERS, 8w.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented May 5, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, \VILLIaM B. PHIN- NEY, a citizen. of the United States, and resident of VVest-field, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, and Roman C. ADAMS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State ofNew York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Feeding Mechanism for String-Bean Cutters, &c., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a feeding mechanism which is more particularl is adapted to cut off or trim opposite ends of the beans preparatory to cooking or canning the same although the machine may also be used for feeding other articles of the same general shape to a machine which is intended to operate upon such articles.

Owing to the irregular length,thickneS, and shape of strin beans it has been found difficult to feed t e same uniformly to the machine which cuts or trims the ends thereof.

The object of this invention is to produce means whereby. the feeding of string beans and like articles to another machine is of fected expeditiously and with maxim m regularity and'reliability.

In the accompanying drawings consisting of 3 sheets: Figure 1 is a side elevatlon of our improved feeding device showing ,thesame organized for feeding string beans to a machine which is adaptedito cut off opposite ends of the beans. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 4. isya fragmentary vertical transverse section in. line- 4 1, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section in line 5-5, Fig. 2. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several news.

For the purpose of illustrating the use of this improved feeding mechanism the same is represented in the drawings as associated with the carrying mechanism of a string bean cutter or trimmer which operates to cut off opposite ends of string beans, That portion of this carrying mechanism whlch 1s shown in the drawings comprises an endless chain belt A having an upper horizontal operative portion and a lower inoperative portion, a sprocket wheel (1 around which passes designedfor feeding string beans to a mac ine which" the receiving end of the carrying belt, a shaft B carrying said sprocket wheel and journaled in hearings on a reciprocating support C and a plurality of pockets or buckets C arranged side by side on the belt and extending with their length transversely to the llne of movement of the carrying belt. The improved feeding device is intended to deliver string beans successively into these pockets so that they are arranged therein transversely to the line of movement of the pockets.- After the beans have been thus deposited in these pockets the latter carry the same forwardly to thecutters which out 01f opposite ends of the same. A machine for thus cutting or trimming off the ends of' 'the beans is shown in the pending application filed November 16th, 1907 and numbered 402,487.

The improved feeding .device may be I variously constructed and still embody the essence of this invention but the organization shown in the drawings is preferred and is constructed as follows: D', 1) represent two longitudinal side walls which are supported. at their rear ends on the floor while their front ends overhang the rear or receiving parts of the carrying mechanism of the .bean cutter. Arranged across the space between the rearends of these side walls is a forwardly'inclined bottom E which together with said side Walls forms a hopper which is closed at the sides and bottom and is open at its upper or rear inlet end and also openat its front or outlet end. Into this hopper the beans to be cut or trimmed are deposited promiscuously and the latter are carried out of this hopper, a few at a time, by means of an elevator which moves past the hopper outlet and lifts the beans successively therefrom. The preferred form of elevator for "this purpose which is shown in the drawroller or pu'lley G which is mounted on a transverse shaft g journaled on the side walls above the rear end of the carrying mechanism for the bean cutter while the operative portion of the belt between its receiving and delivery portions is supported by .an intermediate pulley or roller G which is journaled on the side walls and produces the rearward and upward deflection in this part of the elevator belt whereby the receiving and delivery parts of the same are caused to stand at an angle relatively to each other. On its outer side the elevator belt. is provided with a plurality of buckets, wings or pockets it which are preferably constructed by means of forwardly inclined cleats or strips secured equidistant to the outer side or face of the elevator belt.

As the operative portion of the elevator belt passes the outlet of the hopper each of its buckets picks up some of the beans therein and carries the same upwardly. In order to produce a practically tight joint between the lower edge of the hopper outlet and the elevatorand prevent the beans from escaping at this point a yielding shutter or flap is provided which preferably consists of a sheet of flexible material H which is secured at its rear end to the hopper bottom at the lower edge of its outlet while its rear end engages with the rear or operative side of the elevator. As the buckets of the elevator belt pass the shutter the latter is deflected sufficiently to permit the buckets to pass and after the buckets clear theshutter the latter again springs forwardly into engagement with the elevator belt, thereby producing a packing or yielding closure or joint between the hopper and the elevator.

It has been found by experience that it is undesirable to overload the buckets with beans inasmuch as this is liable to inter,-

' fere with their proper presentation to the =meehanism which delivers the beans to the cutter. Distributing means are therefore provided for removing the surplus or excess beans from each of the buckets and permitting only a few of the beans or as many as can be properly carried by the same to remain within the buckets and be carried away from the hopper to' the carrying mechanism of the cutter. The preferred means for this purpose which are shown in the drawings consist of an endless distributing belt I preferably of the chain type and having its operative portion inclined rearwardly and movable downwardly in a direction lengthwise adjacent to the receiving portion of the elevator belt, sprocket wheels 2', 2' supporting the 'upper and lower ends of this belt and journaled on the side walls and a plurality of brushes J arranged at ins tervals on the outer side of the distributing belt. The operative portion of the distributing belt and the receiving portion of the receiving portion of the elevator during its downward movement reaches deeply into' the first, bucket of the elevator which it meets, then reaches less deeply into the next elevator bucket and then engages only with the outer edge of the next following bucket of the elevator which it meets in its downward course. By this means each distributing brush operates to remove any excess or surplus amount of beans from each bucket which the same may have picked up from the hopper and reduces the liability of improper presentation of the beans to the cut-- ting mechanism. Any beans which are removed from one bucket are brushed downwardly and directed by the brush in advance of the same into the next following bucket of the elevator, so that if any bucket should fail to pick up any beans or picks up a deficient amount of the same, the deficiency will be made up from the excess beans which are removed from other buckets. This distribution of the beans produces uniformity in the feeding operation and insures proper cutting of the same.

Means are provided for causing the brushes J to travel more or less closely to the buckets hand thereby increase or decrease the rate at which beans are being fed to the cutter mechanism as may be found necessary and also to permit of taking up the wear on the brushes. The means for this purpose shown in the drawings consists in mounting the shafts 2' 2' of the upper and lower sprocket wheels 11, i in bearings 2", i which are movable at right angles to the receiving portion of'the elevator belt and guided in ways 2', i on the side walls, and adjusting screws i 2' operatively connected with the bearings '5, '5 By turning the screws '1', 2' in one direction or another, the brushes on the operative side of the distributor belt are caused to remove more or less beans from the buckets it and thus regulate the supply to the cutter mechanism.

At the upper front end of the elevator the beans are discharged from the buckets thereofand received by a depositor or lowering device which carries the beans downwardly and deliversthe same successively into the several pockets of the feed mechanism of the bean cutter. Although this depositing device may be variously constructed. we prefer the form which is shown in the d rawings and which is constructed as follows: K represents an endless depositing or lowering belt having a rear operative portion which inclines rearwardly and which is arranged parallel with and adjacent to the upper end of the return portion of the elevator helland moves in the same direction as the lat .tion of the ter. The upper front part of the depositing belt passes around an upper pulley k which is arranged in front of the delivery roller of the elevator, While its lower rear end pass'es around a roller or pulley k which is arranged close to the path of the pockets of the cutter mechanism at the receiving end of the same. 011 its outer side or face the depositing belt is provided at intervals with transverse buckets, wings or pockets Z which are adapted to successively receive the beans which are discharged from the delivery end of the elevator and retain them in such a position that their length extends transversely to the direction of movement of the depositing belt.

The inner side of each bucket Z of the de positing belt is preferably concave in cross section so that it converges from its opposite longitudinal edges toward its bottom, as shown. in Fig. 2. This causes any beans which are deposited inan oblique position in the buckets Z to be turned by engagement of their ends with the curved walls of the buckets until then -arranged parallel with the longitudinal walls of the buckets and at right angles to the direction of movement of the depositin belt. Owing to this fOI'IfliF cutter mechanism is materially reduced.

The lower roller of the depositing belt is comparatively small, so that the buckets of this belt make a comparatively quick turn in passing around the underside of this roller from the operative part to the inoperative part of the depositing belt and the path of these buckets as they move around this delivery roller is so close to the carrying pockets of the cutter mechanism that the beans contained in the depositing buckets are delivered into said pockets without dropping them to any considerable'cxtent, there-i by reducing the liability of delivering the beans into said pockets other than in a position in which they extend lengthwise, in said pockets and transversely to the direction of movement thereof,

in the absence of any provision to prevent it, a crooked or'other bean under un usual conditions would be liable at times to escape from the buckets of the depositing belt and drop between the pockets of the cutter feed mechanism in rear of the depositing device at which place the cutter pockets pass around the sprocket wheel a and aretemporarily separated, thereby causing the beans to be crushed and clogging the machine. To avoid this, adetlector is provided which intercepts such escaping beans and directs them forwardly to the place where the pockets of the cutter feed mechanism again abut against each other and thereby insures return of such beans into one or another of said cutter pockets.

epositor buckets the liability of improper presentation of the beans to the The preferred deflector for this purpose which is shown in the drawings consists of a curved plate M arranged concentrically relatively to the path of the buckets .l as they pass around the delivery roller and ar ranged with its upper rear end in rear of said roller while its lower front end is arranged below said roller and close to the upper edge of the cutter mechanism pockets and brush on having its stock or bar arranged in rear of the upper edge'of the plate M while its bristles project rearwardly from the stock into engagement with the return ing side of the elevator belt and the buckets thereof. By this means a yielding joint is formed bet-ween the deflector and the elevator belt which efi'ectually prevents the assage of any beans beyond the operative rearend of the cutter feed mechanism and causes any beansescaping from the depositor to be directed in the pockets of the cutter mechanism.

At ti es a bean is apt to be delivered on the up er edges of the cutter pockets at an oblique angle to the direction of movement of said pockets. Such beans are engaged by and swept ofi from the upper "edges of the cutter pockets by. means of a stationary transverse clearin brush n the bristles of which engage wit the upper edges of the pockets and which has its stock secured to the side walls D, D or other support. I If a bean should rest upon the upper edges of the cutter pockets in-a position lengthwise of the direction of movement of these 00 pockets, the same would be liable to pass the clearing brush n and not be affected thereby. In order to insure the removal of such beans from the u per edges of the pockets and delivery of tie same lengthwise 5 into the cutter pockets, a rotatable clearing operative cutter pockets move. The bristles of the rotary clearing brush engage with the 1 5 -upper edges of the pockets and are arranged to form a spiral or screw shaped conveyer, the several threads or windings of which are separated by intervening spiral spaces similar to a screw conveyer. These spirally ar- 12g ranged bristles of the rotary clearing brush upon engaging the front end of a bean lying on the edges of the cutter pockets in a di rection lengthwise of the movement of the same will cause this bean to be pushed lnt- 2s,

orally and eventually fall into said pockets so as to assume a position therein transversely to the line of movement of the pockets.

in addition to serving as a means for clearing the tops of the pockets of misplaced beans which are arranged at an oblique angle thereon, the stationary clearing brush also operates as a stop or abutment which intercepts and limits the rearward movement of any beans thrown in that direction by the action of the rotary brush.

To preventany beans from'escaping latorally at the sides of the pockets, guard devices P, P are provided which are arranged lengthwise above the ends of the cutter pockpositor buckets receives the charge of beans from one of the elevator buckets, and'deliv-' ers the same into one 'of the pockets of the cutter mechanism, thereby insuring uniformity in the feeding of the material to the cuttingmechanism. 7

Any suitable means may be employed for driving the various parts of the feed mechanism, the means for this purpose shown in the drawings consisting of a horizontal driving shaft Q, a belt 9 passing around pulleys 1', r on the driving shaft and the shaft of the delivery pulley G of the elevator, and a chain belt S passing around sprocket wheels 't, 2?, t, t onthe shafts of the upper distributer wheel, the upper elevator pulley, the upper depositor pulley and the rotatable clearing brush, respectively, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4;.

We claim as our invention:

-1'. A mechanism for feeding string beans and similar articles comprising a supply hopper having an outlet at its front end, an elevator having an endless belt which moves in an upwardly and forwardly inclined osition past said outlet and provided with buckets which lift the material from said hopper, and a distributing device having brusheswhich move downwardly past the bucketson the operative part of said ele- \ator bolt, the brushes engaging with the upper operative part of the elevator belt and the respective buckets being arranged 'close to the same while the brushes engaging with the lower operative part of the elevator and the respective buckets are arranged less closely to the same.

2. A mechanism for feeding string beans.

and similar articles comprising a supply hopper having an outlet at its front end, an elevator having an endless belt wh1ch moves in an upwardly and forwardly inclined position past said outlet and provided with aoeaaae buckets which lift the material from said hopper, and a distributing device having brushes which move downwardly past the buckets on the operative part of said elevator belt, an inclined belt carryingsaid brushes, and wheels around which pass the upper and lower parts of said belt, the opposing operative parts of said elevator belt and distributing belt converging upwardly.

3. A mechanism for feeding string beans and similar articles comprisin a supply hopper having an outlet at its ront end, a belt having its receiving part inclined forwardly and upwardly past said outlet and provided with a plurality of buckets, an in dependent movable depositing device which receives at its upper turn the material from the buckets at the upper turn of the elevator belt, and a plurality of movable pockets which receive the articles successively from thelower turn of said depositing belt.

4. A mechanism for feeding string beans or the like, comprising a supply hopper having an outlet at its front side, an elevating belt having its receiving part inclined forwardly and upwardly past said outlet and provided with a plurality of elevating buckets, an independent movable depositing device which comprises a depositing belt having aniinclinedpart which descends adjacent to the idle part of said feeding belt and which has'a plurality of depositing buckets receiving the material from said elevating belt adjacent to the upper turns of said belts, each of said depositing buckets having a concave form in a plane parallel with the direction of travel of the bucket, walls clo'sing opposite ends of the buckets, and a plurality of pockets movable past the lowerturn of the depositing belt and receiving the ma terial successively from the latter.

5. A mechanism for feeding string beans i and similar articles comprising a su ply hopper having an outlet at its. front en an elevator having a belt movable with its operative part upwardly past said outlet and provided with a plurality of buckets, an endless depositing belt movable with its operative part downwardly at an angle from the upper end of-said elevator to said pockets and provided on its face with a luralityv of buckets which receive the material from said elevating belt adjacent to the upper turn of said belt, upper and lower pulleys around which the upper and lower turns of the depositing belt pass, and a plurality of pockets which move past'the lower turn of said depositing belt and which receive the material successively from the latter at said lower turn.

6. A mechanism for feeding string beans and similar articles comprislng, a bucket carrying depositing belt which receives the material and which has a downwardly moving operative part, a plurality of pockets movable past the lower turn of the depositing belt and receiving the articles succes-.

erative part upwardly past said outlet and' provided with axplurality of buckets, a plurality of movable pockets, a depositing device which receives the material from the buckets at the upper end of the elevator belt and which deposits the material in. said pockets and yielding shields engaging with the opposite ends of said pockets. I

8. A mechanism for feeding string beans and similar articles comprising a supply hopper having an outlet at itsfront end, an elevator having a belt movable with itsoperative part upwardly past. said outlet and provided with a plurality of buckets, a plurality of movable pockets, a depositing device which receives the material from the buckets at the upper end of the elevator belt and which depositsv the material in said pockets, and shields for preventing escape of the material from said pocketsconsisting of longitudinal brushes engaging their bristles with opposite ends of said pockets.

9. A mechanism for feeding string beans and similar articles comprislng a supply hopper having an outlet at its front end, an elevator having a belt movable with its 0perative part upwardly past said outlet and provided with a plurality of buckets, a plurality of movable pockets, a depositing device which receives the material from the buckets at the upper end of the elevator belt and which deposits the material in said pockets, and a brush arranged to engage with the upper ends of said pockets.

10. A mechanism for feeding string beans and similar articles comprising a supply hopper having an outlet at its front end, an elevator having a belt movable with its operative part upwardly past said outlet and provided with a plurality of buckets, a plurality of movable pockets, a depositing device which receives the material from the buckets at the upper end of the elevator belt and which deposits the material in said pockets, and a rotatable brush arranged transversely above the pockets and having spiral bristles.

11. A mechanism for feeding string beans and similar articles comprising a supply hopper having an outletat its front end, an elevator having a belt movable with its operative part upwardly past said outlet and provided with a plurality of buckets, a plurality of movable pockets, a depositing device which receives the material from the buckets at the upper end of the elevator belt and which deposits the material in said pockets, a stationary brush arranged transversely above the pockets in front of the lower part of said depositing belt, and a rotatable brush arranged transversely above said ockets and havin soirall arran ed bristles.

\Vitness our hands this 16th day of June, 1908.

WILLIAM B. PHINNEY.

ROGER o. ADAMS.

Witnesses:

THEO. L. Porr, ANNA HEIGIS. 

